Rent Continued
by raidersrule456
Summary: Another night in the lives of all your favorite Rent characters. My first fic, sorry. Please, reviews, i want to know how good or bad i am.
1. Chapter 1

Rent Continued

Collins clutched the small blade as though it were a lifeline. He was standing in a dingy bathroom, across the street from the Life Café, where his five friends were laughing and carrying on. He had told them he was going to the bathroom, which he did. He snuck out the back entrance and went across the street to the small shop, ran to the bathroom, and locked the door.

He couldn't stand it anymore. That night, they had decided to go out and have a good time, to celebrate Mimi's recovery. But as they all sat around the small table, his thoughts carried him away. Roger and Mimi were holding hands, as usual. Maureen's head was resting on Joanne's shoulder. Even Mark had a girlfriend now, and she was sitting across his lap, giggling stupidly. Mark was beaming.

Was it just one year ago they had been doing exactly this, plus a smiling Angel on Collins' lap, minus Mark's airhead Miranda?

He shook his head and swallowed. Ever since last Halloween, Collins had made it a habit that, whenever Angel floated into his mind, he blocked him out. But that didn't work anymore. As hard as he tried, he couldn't get over the love of his life, and he couldn't suppress the jealousy and bitterness he felt towards his friends.

This was it. The subject of Angel hadn't come up in two weeks, not since Christmas Eve. If he wasn't over him now, he never would be. He shuddered and felt the cold steel of the knife against his wrist…

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"Hey, is Collins not back yet?" said Joanne, looking concerned. A napping Maureen was resting on her shoulder.

The six friends looked around the café. "I'll go get him, he's probably not feeling well," said Roger, breaking away from Mimi.

"Yeah, he's been looking sick all night," nodded Mark. He stared down at Collins' vacant plate. "Probably this goddamn tofu dog he got, I had one last month and I was up all night…"

But Roger wasn't listening. He may have been the only one to notice, but Collins hadn't just been looking sick tonight. He'd been looking sick every night for a long time.

As he entered the restroom of the café, his mind wondered. This was exactly how it had started with Angel. A few coughs here and there, and pretty soon he couldn't get out of bed without breaking a sweat.

_Shut up, it's not like that, _Roger thought to himself. He searched the stalls and found no one. "Collins?" he called hopefully. No answer.

He walked out of the bathroom and looked down the tiny hallway. He froze. The back door was open, and there were footprints in the snow that covered the alley behind the café, leading towards the street.

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Benjamin Coffin III knocked on Mark and Roger's apartment door.

"Guys, it's Benny. Come on, guys, open up!" No response from the other end of the door.

He sighed and trudged away.

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Collins heard pounding on the bathroom door just as he was about to move his hand. He jumped and dropped the blade. It landed in the toilet with a splash.

"You been in there long time!" shouted the Middle Eastern owner of the shop. "Come out now!"

"C-coming!" he stammered, fishing for the knife in the toilet. He stuffed it in his pocket and opened the door. "Sorry," he said to the owner, and hurried out the front door.

He looked across the street to the café. He couldn't go back. It had been to long, they must be looking for him right now. And the back door was probably locked. He would have to go in the front and explain to them where he had been. And he was too frazzled to think right now. He bolted up the avenue in the direction of Mark and Roger's apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

Roger inspected the footprint in the snow. He had concluded that it most definitely came from a boot, and Collins always wore boots in this weather. It seemed about the right size as well.

"Did you find him?"

Roger whipped around. Mimi was standing there, a puzzled look on her face. "What are you looking at?" She stepped around him and peered down at the snow. Her eyes got wide when she saw the prints. "Are those -?"

"Yeah, their his," he said gravely.

"Why would he ditch us?" she asked.

"I have an idea." She turned back to him. "I think he was mad because he was the only single person here. He got jealous, so he left. He's probably back home by now, we should call him."

She shook her head. "Let's give him time. He'll want to apologize for leaving. We shouldn't have been so rude, making out in front of him all the time. He hasn't been the same since Angel…." She trailed off, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Roger comforted her. "Come here." He held her and she cried into his shoulder. "We'll find him. He's gonna be fine, we're all gonna be fine." Mimi looked into his eyes. He smiled. "Let's tell them what happened. We can split up and start looking right away."

Mimi half-smiled and nodded. They walked back into the restaurant, hand in hand.

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Benny was walking down Avenue B, hands in his pockets, headed toward the Life Café. _They'll surely be there, _he thought.

He jumped when he saw a dark figure running towards him from the opposite direction. This was not a safe neighborhood. He had always dreaded coming here. Now that a strange man was running at him, he felt his fears were very rational.

"Stop!" he shouted, fumbling for the knife in his back pocket. "I'm warning you, I am a very important man!" Benny froze on the spot when he recognized him. The man stopped in his tracks and looked at him. "Collins?" asked Benny. He couldn't believe it.

"Benjamin Coffin III," Collins said, out of breath. He smiled. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

Benny was glad they had found each other. "I came looking for Mark and Roger. I wanted to ask them --"

"For the rent?" said Collins, still smiling and shaking his head. "Benny, you're not even their landlord anymore. Don't you give up?"

"It's not about rent, Collins. I want to ask them a question. Do you know where they are?"

He hesitated. "No I don't. I haven't seen them all day. But m-maybe you should try the café." His eyes darted and he went red.

Benny nodded skeptically. "Right…. Well, I'll see you later, Collins."

He pushed him aside and walked on.

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Mark looked down at Miranda, stretched across his lap. This was so unlike him. He was dating someone he had nothing in common with. She was a complete ditz, Mark was an intellectual. In his heart he knew it wouldn't work. But he liked, for once, to not be the fifth wheel.

Mimi and Roger walked back in from the small hallway. The other four stood up. Mimi and Roger both said in unison, "He's gone."

Their mouths fell open. "He ditched us?" said Maureen, who had just woken up. "That's not like him at all."

"It's no big deal," said Mimi. "He just got a little uncomfortable with all these couples around."

"So what now?" asked Miranda airily.

"We look," Roger answered. "Mimi and I will check his apartment. Maureen and Joanne can look around the neighborhood. Mark, go back to our place in case he shows up."

They all agreed. "All right, let's go Maureen," said Joanne. Roger, Mimi, Maureen, and Joanne left and went in different directions.

"Okay," Mark said to Miranda. "We ought to get looking."

"Or…" she said, leaning in towards Mark and kissing him gently.

"No, no," he said, pushing her away. "My best friend is missing. We don't have time for this."

"Whatever, then I'm going home. Bye." She walked away with a flip of her flowing red hair.

Mark scowled and walked out the front door in the direction of his apartment.

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Collins was about to enter through Mark and Roger's front door when he heard heavy footsteps. Three or four sets, headed in his direction.

He whipped around and saw four muscular thugs, three with wooden baseball bats, one with a small blade. They jumped on him and sent him to the ground.

"No-!" was all he could utter before one of the muggers sent a blow with one of the bats to his left cheek. Another one tore open his pockets and grabbed his wallet. The others continued to kick and beat him until the attacker with the knife had pulled off Collins' brand new boots.

"Thanks for that, moron. Let's get outta here." They ran off into the night.

"Oh, God…" Collins moaned. "Not this again." He remembered that he had been in this situation a little over a year ago. But this time, no Angel would come to his rescue.

The taste of his blood, the cold concrete, and the aching pain of his ribs and legs was what Collins felt as he closed his eyes and drifted off…

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REVIEWS PLEASE!

AN: i am sorry about the cliffhanger. I have already written most of the story, so the rest should be up very very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

"Nope, not here," said Mimi as she and Roger entered Collins' small, one bedroom apartment.

She looked around the room. This was not at all how she had wanted to spend the night. This was supposed to be _her _night. Mimi had spent over a week in bed, and this was the night they had all set aside to go out, have fun, and spend time together. But, of course, Collins had to run off and worry everyone. Mimi had sympathy for the man, but couldn't this have waited until tomorrow?

"Maybe we should ask the neighbors if anyone has seen him," Roger said, in a way that made it obvious that he knew it wouldn't work.

"I guess," Mimi said with a sigh.

They walked down the hall to the next door and knocked.

An old man with a long, grey beard answered. "Yes?"

"Your neighbor," said Roger pointing to Collins' door, "Have you seen him?"

He looked at the door and back to Roger and Mimi. "You mean the black queer who works at NYU?"

Roger and Mimi rolled their eyes and scowled. "Yeah, him."

"He left about three hours ago. I don't know where he went."

"Thanks." They stood there for a few moments, until Roger noticed that the man was staring at Mimi. He scowled again and slammed the door himself.

"Well, he was helpful," said Mimi sarcastically. "What now?"

Roger thought a moment, and then said, "Let's go home."

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Benny was still heading down Avenue B when he ran into Mark, heading in the opposite direction.

"Mark!" he shouted. "I've been looking for you."

Mark was about to push past him when he stopped and saw the sincerity on his face.

He sighed. "What do you want Benny? What are you doing here?"

"Muffy kicked me out," he said, with a hint of a smile.

Mark looked at him. "I thought she moved you away."

"She did, but not far enough. I've been sleeping with this girl from Soho, and she walked in on us when we were, ah... you know."

Mark could not help but laugh in the face of his old landlord. "You never could keep it in your pants, Benny."

Benny laughed. There was a silence between the two.

"So, you said you wanted to ask me something," said Mark, already knowing where this was going.

"I do. I'm homeless. I've got nowhere to turn. You guys are the only ones who can help me out."

Mark grinned. "Oh, how the tables have turned. Just a few months ago, Benjamin Coffin III was hitting us up for rent money, and now he's on his knees begging for another chance.

Benny rolled his eyes. "Come on, Mark, you think I don't feel bad about this?"

Mark couldn't resist. He pulled his camera out of his large shoulder bag and pointed it at him. "Zoom in on Benny, who was just thrown out of his house by Allison Grey, after sleeping around and getting caught. Although two months ago he was _our _landlord, he now has nowhere to turn but to the people he once screwed over."

Benny made a face and put his hand over the lens. "Hey, watch it," said Mark, turning his camera off and stuffing it back in his bag. He caught the desperate look on Benny's face and sighed loudly. "I'll pass it on to the others and see what they think."

Benny smiled. "Thanks Mark. Here's my number." He handed him a business hard. Mark took it and shoved it in his pocket.

"Yeah, whatever," he pushed by him and walked on. He stopped and turned around. "Hey, you haven't seen Collins around, have you?"

"Yeah, actually," he said. "He was headed into your building, I stopped him and we talked."

Mark's eyes went wide. He turned in the other direction and sprinted up the sidewalk.

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"Oh my God! Are you okay?"

Collins managed to open his bleary, bloodshot eyes and look up.

Bent over him was a young man, stubble on his cheeks, with a baseball cap over his curly brown hair. The man reached for Collins, who was hunched over on the sidewalk.

"Ohh…" he moaned. The pavement around him was red. "Stay back, don't touch me."

"I was trying to help," the man said, annoyed.

"I know. It's just – don't touch me when I'm bleeding."

"I'm gonna have to touch you if we're going to the hospital."

"I have HIV, okay? So just call an ambulance," he coughed, spitting blood onto the concrete.

The guy smiled. "We don't have a problem, then." He helped Collins onto his feet and hailed a cab.

Collins smiled. They got into the cab and gave the driver their destination. "I don't believe I got your name, good sir."

"I'm Tony," he said. "And you?"

"Collins, Tom Collins. You're a lifesaver, Tony."

"And you, Collins, are a very lucky man."

AN: Yes, this story does take place over the course of one night. Similar to Act I of the musical.


	4. Chapter 4

Mark ran up to their apartment building and froze. On the sidewalk in front of the door, the pavement was red with blood.

"Oh, no…" Mark said under his breath. He entered and took the steps up two at a time. He pulled back the sliding door of their loft apartment.

No one.

Mark sank onto the couch as the phone rang. He barely even heard it.

"_SPEAK!"_

"Mark? Roger? Pick up guys it's Collins!"

Mark leapt for the phone and answered. "Collins? Collins? Holy shit man, where are you?"

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An hour later, Mark, Roger, Mimi, Maureen, Joanne, and Tony were all sitting around Collins in a hospital bed. He had an eye patch and a bandage across the left side of his face, but he looked happier than ever.

Mark and Roger were really giving it to him. "Dammit, Collins, can't you get in our building without getting the crap kicked out of you?" Roger joked.

Collins continued to smile. He had told them the whole story. He admitted he had been feeling left out at the Life, but skipped over his little adventure in the bathroom of the Middle Eastern store. He told them about running into Benny, and how as he was opening the door, four men mugged him. He said that Tony had come to his rescue, and that he was also HIV +.

Tony was sitting on the bed close to Collins. "The doctors say you can go home tomorrow night."

"That's good news," said Mark, who had been very worried.

"We should get going, you need some sleep," said Maureen. She, Joanne, Roger, and Mimi left.

Mark sat down next to Collins. Tony went off to get him another pillow.

Mark looked around and sighed. "Great night, huh?"

Collins grinned. "Sure was."

Mark had been kidding. "Are you serious? You got your ass kicked! You're gonna have to wear that patch for a week!"

"Yeah. But I found what I was looking for." He gestured to where Tony had left.

Mark shook his head and laughed.

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Back in the apartment, the five friends thought the night was over.

Maureen and Joanne hadn't wanted to go back to their place, so they agreed to let them stay in the spare room. The two of them said their goodnights and went to bed.

Mark had decided it was time to tell Roger about Benny's request. "Listen, man. I ran into Benny outside the café. He said his wife kicked him out. He's got nowhere to go."

Roger stared at him for a second. He looked at Mimi, who sat next to him on the couch, and looked back at Mark. "Hell no! Not after what happened last year."

"I know, I know, I just thought I'd run it past you. He gave me his cell number; I'll call him right now." He picked up the phone and punched in his number.

"Wait," said Roger, "Let me do it." He snatched up the phone and spoke. "Hello, Benny. It's Roger. Mark told me about what you asked him, and I just wanted to say that there is no way in hell you are staying here, and we are not giving you any money." He slammed the phone down and laughed mirthlessly.

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Benny closed his cell phone. Those bastards would get what was coming to them.

He was still sitting in the Life, sipping on his sixth latte. They had taken everything from him. It was about time he got his revenge.

He left without paying and walked up the avenue towards there apartment. As he entered he slowly pulled a 9 mm handgun from a holster at his waist. He ran up the stairs and knocked on the sliding door of the loft.

Inside, Mimi said, standing up, "Who the hell?"

She walked over to the door and opened up. Benny.

"Hello, Mimi." He was standing with one hand behind his back, but Mimi didn't notice this.

Roger jumped up from the couch. He ran and stood between Mimi and Benny. "I told you no," he said with clenched teeth.

Benny pushed his way in and closed the door. He revealed his hidden gun and pointed it directly at Roger's face.

"You've screwed me for the last time, Davis." He kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying onto the floor.

"No!" Mimi screamed. Mark had stood up and was running towards Roger.

Benny gave an evil smile. "This is the end. This is the end." The gun was aimed at Roger. Benny's finger gripped the trigger.

BANG.

AN: Once again, very sorry about the cliffhanger. However, I have already finished the fic and I will update it very very soon. Perhaps some reviews will speed up the process...

REVIEWS!


	5. Chapter 5

Joanne stood over Benny's spread-eagled body, her rifle still in her hands. The gun was still aimed directly at his chest. She had just burst out of the bedroom, aimed, and fired the weapon directly at him.

"Ahh…" he said. Joanne noticed the gun was still in his hand. As he began to point it at her, she fired another shot into his forehead. Benny lay there, in a pool of blood, never to terrorize them again.

The group sat in silence for awhile. Mimi was the first to speak. "Oh my God," she said breathlessly.

"Joanne, where the hell did you get that gun?" asked Roger sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"That gun store on 37th and Lexington. Nice, huh?" she said, displaying the rifle casually.

"Joanne, you saved my life. Thank you."

"You're welcome." No one really knew what to do at this point. The five of them sat in the room, staring at the body of their ex-landlord.

Just then, there came a knock at the door. "Shit!" yelled Roger, "That's got to be the cops."

"Don't worry, this was self-defense," said Joanne, the legal queen. "We're not in any trouble."

Mark got up to answer the door. He slid it open, and there stood Miranda.

"Hi, Mark."

"Miranda! What the f—ah, what are you doing here?" He leaned against the frame casually, trying to cover as much of the Loft from view as possible.

She looked tired. "Mark, I am so sorry I ditched you tonight. That was stupid. I want to make it up to you," she walked past him into the apartment.

"Wait, no!" Everyone stood in unison as Miranda's eyes fell on Benny's corpse.

She let out a bloodcurdling scream, and fainted onto the hard floor.

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For the second time in two hours, the group stood in a hospital room, in the very same hospital.

They were crowded around a sleeping Miranda. Apparently, everyone in their building had ignored two deafening gunshots, but as soon as they heard Miranda's shriek, someone had called the cops. The ambulance was there soon, along with the police. Joanne had been able to convince them that her attack was self-defense, mostly because of the four witnesses that were there. They wrote up the report, cleared out the body, and left.

"Is she going to be okay?" Mark asked the nurse that was tending to Miranda.

"She'll be fine," she replied, scribbling into her clipboard. "She wasn't injured, just some mild shock."

"Thank God," Mark said, but everyone could tell Mark hadn't been that worried about his girlfriend.

Miranda's eyes slowly opened and found Mark. "What the hell did you do?"

Apparently the shock hadn't affected her memory, as Mark had hoped. "Well, ah, you see…"

"I don't care. Whatever happened to that man in that apartment is none of my business. But Mark, I don't ever want to see you again." She looked at him seriously.

The room was filled with silence. Miranda broke it. "Get out!"

They didn't hesitate. They hurried out and headed down the hall. As they rounded a corner they ran into Collins' boyfriend Tony.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"One of our friends got hurt," said Roger.  
He shook his head. "Again? Well Tom is in this room right here, if you want to see him." He walked into a nearby room.

The group exchanged smiling looks. "Tom?" said Mimi with a laugh.

They walked into Collins' room and were hit with questions. "What's going on? Why are you guys here? The nurse said someone died. Who died?"

"Relax, relax," said Joanne. "We're all fine. We're here because Miranda fell."

"Then who died?"

Everyone looked at everyone else, waiting for someone to tell. Finally, they all said in unison, "Benny."

Collins' look of anticipation froze. He sat back in bed. "How?"

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Once again, the five friends walked back into the Loft.

They were exhausted. "Oh my God," said Mark, "this is the longest night of my life."

Maureen sighed, "Tell me about it. I'm out." She and Joanne walked directly to the bedroom.

Just as she was about to shut the door, Roger called after her, "Keep that gun of yours handy." He smiled as she flashed an obscene gesture.

As soon as they were gone, a cell phone's ring tone went off. The three friends looked around. Mark spotted a cell phone lying on the apartment floor. He picked it up and answered. "Hello?"

"Benny? Benny is that you?" It was Allison Grey, Benny's wife.

Mimi and Roger instantly realized whose phone it was. "Oh, shit!" said Mimi, slapping her forehead.

Mark covered the phone. "What do I say? What do I do?" He looked to both of them. They didn't know what to do either. Allison may be mad at Benny, but surely she would be upset when she found out he was dead.

Mark put the phone back to his ear. "Muff—Allison?"

"Mark? Mark Cohen?" She sounded frantic.

"Yes, it's me."

"Why do you have Benny's phone?"

"Ah, well, y-you see--"

"Is he with you? Should I come over? I think I still remember where you live."

"No, that's not necessary."

"Oh, it's no trouble Mark. You see, Benny and I had a falling out, but I think I would like to try and patch things up. I figured he might be there. I'll just come over and see him."

"Really, Allison, you don't need to--"

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." _Click._

Mark closed the phone. "Fuck!" he yelled.

Maureen and Joanne came out, rubbing their eyes. "What's going on?"

Mark looked at them with frightened eyes. "Muffy's on her way."

AN: Hope you're liking it. More reviews please, those are always helpful. By the way, 37th and Lexington is where I stayed when I first visited New York, when I first saw Rent. I don't think there's an actual gun store there.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Okay, this is the last chapter. I realize this is a short fic, and I am sorry. I plan on writing more soon. Thank you, I hope you enjoyed it. Please continue to send reviews. Please. **

The living room was filled with voices, all five friends talking at once. They were trying to come up with a way to tell Allison about Benny without her getting upset.

Finally, Joanne came in with a voice of reason. "Guys, there's nothing we can do. I was the one who killed him, so I think I should tell her."

No one argued. "She's going to hit you," said Maureen.

"She might, but I can take her." No one argued with that, either.

Five minutes before she was supposed to be there, Mimi realized something. She nudged Roger. "Maybe I should wait in the bedroom," she whispered.

Roger nodded. "Better if she only attacks one of us tonight." He winked.

There came a knock at the door, and Mimi ran off. Roger went to answer it.

The wealthy Allison Grey looked very out of place in the dingy hallway. She was wearing a stunning striped blouse with a knee-length skirt, and a diamond necklace. And, of course, black high heels.

"Hello, Allison."

"Roger!" she squealed, and hugged him "It's been so long!"

"Right," he said, feeling hatred rising inside of him.

She walked in, clicking her fancy heels. "Wow, what a lovely, ah, place you have," she motioned around the apartment. Glancing around the room, she asked, "So, where is Benny?"

With this, Joanne stood and walked over to her. She shook her hand. "I'm Joanne Jefferson."

"Nice to meet you." She continued to look around. "Benny?" she called, searching the kitchen area.

"Um, Allison?" said Joanne. Allison finally began to notice the distressed looks on everyone's faces.

"What? Where is he?"

"Allison, Benny—he's gone"

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"I think she's asleep," said Mimi, sitting on the couch next to Allison.

After Joanne had explained everything to Allison about how Benny had died, she had lunged at her. Mark and Roger immediately pulled her off of Joanne, kicking and screaming.

"HOW COULD YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!" she shrieked, bursting into a fit of tears.

"Allison, it was self-defense!" wailed Joanne. "You should have seen him, he was going to kill us all!"

"I don't care, I don't care!" Mark and Roger let go of her. She collapsed and moaned Benny's name.

As if things weren't bad enough, Mimi came running out of the bedroom, alarmed. She looked down at the bawling Allison

Allison looked up. Her eyes went livid. "You!" she yelled, jumping up and throwing herself at Mimi, sending her flying to the ground.

Roger jumped, and with all his strength, threw Allison off of Mimi. She landed on her feet, tripped, and fell back on the couch. With a great sigh, she passed out.

"I envy her," said Mark. "She's actually getting some sleep."

They agreed it was time to crash. Roger and Mimi headed to their bedroom, Mark to his, and Maureen and Joanne to the guest. As soon as each of their frazzled heads hit their pillows, they were dead in sleep.

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Roger woke with a start when he heard a small shriek coming from the living room. But when his mind told him to get up, his muscles refused. He drifted in and out of sleep for a few minutes, before finally wrenching himself from beneath the sheets.

The Loft was dark. He hit the lights. As his eyes found the couch where Allison had been sleeping, he lost his breath.

There lay Allison, blood dripping from two long cuts in each wrist. She held a steak knife from the kitchen in her right hand. Her eyes were still open, which almost made Roger vomit.

He yelled out, "Help!" and within a minute all five of them stood around the couch, some crying.

Alarm clocks from both bedrooms sounded as they struck 7:00 A.M. Sunlight poured in from the window, causing the blood on Allison's wrists to glisten.

Another day in the lives of the Bohemians had begun.


End file.
